Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a method and finish for concrete structures, and more specifically to a method of forming architectural concrete structure having customized architectural attributes (i.e., color and texture), while at the same time exhibiting sufficient strength and durability.
Description of the Related Art
As is well known in the construction industry, concrete is a commonly used material for the fabrication of structures. The desirability of the use of concrete as a construction material is attributable to certain characteristics that concrete possesses in comparison to other construction materials. Due to its durability, wear resistance and cost economy, concrete is gaining widespread use in flooring applications. As a result of its widespread use, there is an increasing demand for variations in color and surface texture of the concrete such that the concrete possesses improved aesthetics similar to more conventional and costly flooring surfaces such as marble, stone and granite.
To meet the demand, the concrete industry has heretofore developed various coloring and surface finishing techniques for enhancing the aesthetics of the concrete. Exemplary finishing techniques include salt finishing, multiple brook finish, form press finish, and exposed aggregate finish.
In relation to exposed aggregate finishes, there are two commonly used techniques to achieve the desired finish, i.e., integrally exposed aggregate and surface seeded exposed aggregate. Integrally exposed aggregate tends to be the more conventional of the two methods and generally includes washing or removal of the surface cement and fines from the concrete while the concrete surface is still plastic, i.e., before full curing, such that the aggregate, normally rock or gravel, is left exposed on the surface of the concrete. Due to the normal size of such concrete aggregate being relatively large, as well as the washing process not being uniform in nature, the resultant concrete surface derived by the integrally exposed aggregate method is extremely rough and gagged, thereby limiting its widespread use in flooring applications.
Surface seeded exposed aggregate has been introduced, which subsequent to the pouring of the concrete, rock or gravel aggregate is broadcasted, i.e., seeded, over the top surface of the concrete and subsequently troweled into the same wherein upon curing the aggregate broadcast over the surface adheres to the surface and is thus exposed. Various sized aggregate can be broadcast over the surface of the concrete in the surface seeded exposed aggregate technique, normally the aggregate includes sheared or jagged edges such that the same can be worked into the surface of the concrete and be adequately adhered thereto. Thus, the resultant concrete surface, although generally flatter and not possessing as many surface irregularities as the integrally exposed aggregate surface, still possesses an extremely rough surface which limits its widespread use in flooring applications.
Therefore, there exists a substantial need in the art for an improved method of forming an architectural concrete surface having a surface which is smoother and more uniform than surfaces formed using existing techniques.